A couple months ago we scheduled our August 2026 workshop with Tess Clarkson, Navigating Your Way Through Grief. Yesterday I happened across an article in Outlook Traveler that discussed the increase in offerings for people to process grief while on vacation. The industry has started to catch on.
Retreats dedicated to grief and healing have popped up across the world. From yoga and journaling residencies in Bali, to forest bathing in Japan, and spiritual pilgrimages in India, grief retreats are more popular than ever. Some use ritual. Others lean on silence, solitude, and nature. Importantly, travelers don’t book grief retreats to escape sorrow, but to face it in a safe place.
Sewall House offers that.
When my mother died in 2004, a friend gave me a book about grieving. I didn’t make it through the whole book. But I remember the author saying her grief over losing her mother did not hit her until 19 years later. A grief retreat can be a way to sort through those feelings, even if they’re still with us years after the event that caused them.
Since we opened in 1997, many people have come to Sewall House to face challenges and changes in their lives. Every change, some more painful than others, is a loss than can cause grief. One of our guests, who has returned 16 times (so far), attributes her first visit to helping her deal with the grief of losing her mother at age 58. She has returned often to re-experience the healing that the yoga, the house, the staff, and the simple, natural beauty of the area around Sewall House have to offer.
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, in her 1969 book On Death and Dying, originally presented five stages of grief. Ross’s collaborator, David Kessler, later added a sixth stage. These six stages can help us better understand the way we process grief.
- Denial. The initial shock and disbelief that the loss has occurred. Denial is a defense mechanism to help you cope with the overwhelming emotions.
- Anger. As the reality of the loss sinks in, you may feel frustrated and helpless, directing anger toward others, yourself, or the situation.
- Bargaining. This stage involves “what if” and “if only” thoughts, and you may try to make deals with a higher power to change what has happened.
- Depression. You begin to understand the reality and severity of the loss. Depression is marked by sadness, isolation, and grief over the loss.
- Acceptance. You acknowledge the reality of the loss and begin to move forward with your life. Acceptance doesn’t mean the pain is gone, but that you are coming to terms with it.
- Finding Meaning. The sixth and final stage, finding meaning, involves integrating the loss into your life in a way that makes sense for you.
Tess’s workshop in August will be enriched with her experience as an end of life doula to help you navigate through your feelings.
Whether they are grieving the loss of a loved one, a job, a friendship, or their health, people are realizing the benefit of processing their pain and grief in a safe environment. Sewall House has offered that safe environment for almost thirty years.
By facing grief we understand that impermanence is part of the cycle for us all. Dealing with grief can allow us richer living, deeper loving, and the ability find joy in every moment.
